


Limb for life

by siberianchan



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Gen, In case you're wondering YES this is how it went down in my head, So yeah, TamerLorika, also I try to figure out how they communicate, also check out, probably a mixture of scent (a lot of scent) body language and actual language, so eh..., they do understand each other perfectly but I still am figuring out the linguistic aspect of this, warning for not-overly-explicit description of how you might loose a leg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 19:08:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7904227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siberianchan/pseuds/siberianchan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes you need to give up something to go on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Limb for life

Limb for life

 

There are things Toothless dearly and honestly does not wish to experience ever again. Before now, loosing a part of his body had taken a top spot on that list.

Scratch that.

Hiccup falling, just falling, not moving, not trying to twist and turn – that has to be it.

He's falling so fast, racing down into the fire and Toothless' instincts scream at him to fly away, to survive, to escape, to just get out of here.

Still, the only way he can go now is down.

He dives, wings straining, ready to tear or so it feels like.

So slow.

Hiccup does nothing, he does not move, Toothless works so hard to be faster, to be with him a little bit sooner, so why is he so slow?!

Amazingly, the fire around them his completely silent, burning on nothing but gas.

Nothing.

Pure nothingness as he finally, finally catches up with the boy, clutches him to his chest, safely tucking him away in the folds of his wings.

Good.

Toothless ducks his head and braces himself for the impact.

They roll over the rubble and ash and dust.

Toothless tries not to move, but the body pressed against his chest and belly starts to twitch and twist.

Air.

Hiccup needs air, naturally.

Toothless unfolds his wings a little bit, just enough that Hiccup can breathe, and he takes a close look at him.

Despite the fact that his heart is hammering in his chest – Toothless feels the quick rhythm – his face is the colour of the ash surrounding them and his lips are a disturbing shade of blue.

Also his eyes are open and gleaming and unhealthily bright. He has trouble focusing, Toothless realizes, pupils dilating and contracting, eyes darting around without locking on anything.

Toothless hums a purr, sending steady, deep vibration through the small body. It works, Hiccup’s gaze steadies a bit, even if his breathing doesn't.

“Quite a flight, eh?” He laughs and it sounds an awfully lot like a hacked up cough

Please, Toothless begs silently, moving a paw over Hiccup’s chest, please be still. Please wait.

And Hiccup obeys, breathing quickly. “You didn't have to go after me... not that I'm complaining or anything, but you could have left.”

Yes. Because Hiccup had left him on the ship to drown, right, instead of coming after him. Sure.

Toothless snorts as much and Hiccup again hacks up a coughing laugh. “Love you too, bud.”

Something is not right.

Toothless can smell blood – well, that is to be expected, but the smell is too strong to come just from the scratches and cuts that cover the boy’s face.

“Leg got a hit...” Hiccup mumbles. “Feels hot.” His eyelids quiver, not quite closing, not quite open. “Venom, I guess...?”

Oh dear.

Oh dear.

Toothless shakes his head. It will be alright, surely, surely this is nothing...

His haunches twitch when he's upset, it's an annoying habit he never had been quite able to break. Hiccup had figured him out quite quickly and nowadays Toothless finds it impossible to lie to him. Hiccup can always tell.

The movement brushes against the maimed leg, Toothless feels warm, sticky wetness on his skin and Hiccup hisses in pain.

Oh no, oh no, no, no, no...

“It's ok, really...” Hiccup whispers through some ragged breathing. “Really...”

It is not ok.

This is not ok and Hiccup knows it.

He finally whispers, voice thick and tense and barely audible: “It's spreading. The venom. Will creep up my leg. Then my body. Burns.” Another rasp of a breath. “Feels like it’s burning inside out.”

Hiccup has to concentrate to string the words together and it is taxing. Toothless can smell the fresh sweat on his face.

He glances up at Toothless, eyes bright and gleaming with pain and fever.

“You do me a favor?”

Anything, everything.

“It has to go. Take it off.”

No. No, no, no...

“Please...”

No, he can't, he can't, he just... there has to be another way.

Hiccup tenses. “Fuckdamnit, do it!”

Toothless flinches and then huddles closer when Hiccup sinks back against him, breath running in hard, torn rags. “Please... please, I... I don't wanna die.” His eyes are clear for a moment and full of sheer terror.

Toothless has never seen him like this, not even on their first time facing each other.

He knows that time is crucial. Still, Toothless can't bring himself to be anything but utterly gentle and careful, as he unfolds his wings and untangles his legs to ease Hiccup on the ground.

From his left leg the odour of blood rises, laced with the biting, burning stench of venom.

Besides the deep, gaping cut Toothless notices a large, swelling bruise on the calf, where blood from burst vessels collects and clots. And several spreading, hot, wet burns that look like something is feeding on him. They, as well, smell of the venom.

He can't wait anymore.

Toothless sniffs the leg, tracing to where the venom has not spread yet - there, just beneath the knee.

It will be alright, he tells himself, as he settles down.

It will be alright, he hums as he reaches out and places a paw on Hiccups chest to keep him still.

It will be alright, he prays as his teeth unsheathe and his jaws close down on the limb and Hiccup moans and squirms.

Human blood tastes revolting.

Human flesh even more so. The venom is even worse.

Toothless spits the leg out immediately and then with one carefully aimed and regulated shot proceeds to seal the wound, keeping both infection and further blood loss at bay.

Hiccup doesn't even twitch. Even the bite had caused no bigger reaction than a short squirm. Maybe he is too exhausted. Maybe he knows too well that fighting and moving around will only make it worse.

Or maybe he is just beyond pain at this point. The fact that he starts to shiver in tiny, cramp like, convoluted waves points to the latter.

Toothless hurries to gag up whatever bits of human blood and dragon venom he has ingested and to burn both the mangled leg and his vomit with yet another well-aimed shot before huddling around Hiccup once more, holding him close to his chest, folding his wings around them both, pressing Hiccup close, keeping him warm, letting his heartbeat and his steady, humming purr soothe Hiccup, ease him, assure him that he is safe.

He purrs promises of future days spent together and filled with flying. Hiccup loves flying, nothing could ever keep him on the ground once he had discovered the wonders of gliding through the air. He had been ready to get on Toothless’ back again, right after any fall that could just as well have killed him.

They will fly again.

Hiccup will live. He held on, he wants to live, and Toothless won’t let him die.

They will fly again. Hiccup will heal and make them something with his clever, nimble hands, so they can fly again.

Humming this promise he tucks in his head, covering Hiccup, as his tremors finally cease and make room for an even, if weak heartbeat. Toothless can feel it flutter against his own body.

Hopefully the Vikings will search for them.

Toothless can only hope they'll be found soon.

He has some choice words for these people, oh, he does. But it can wait.

It will wait until Hiccup is taken care of.

Maybe – depending on how well they take care of him – it will wait until they can fly again.

Or maybe – depending on how they act and behave and whether they will see some reason – he won’t have to say his choice words. In that case he will leave it with some pointed stares and be content.

 

In the end they come.

In the end, his pointed stares are enough and maybe even unnecessary.

In the end, yes they fly again.

 

**Author's Note:**

> You have no idea how long this one has been lollopping around in my head, so... yay for getting it out finally. Also yay for finally having time to write fan fiction again. Been too long and these idiots here are just perfect for me...  
> Sadly... or not, dunno... this now means that there's a ton of ideas popping up in my head.


End file.
